Anchor



y 1954 c. w. THAYER 2,679,226

ANCHOR Filed June 8, 1955 IH lH] ATTORNEY Patented May 25, 1954 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE ANCHOR Clarence W. Thayer, Erie, Pa.

Application June 8, 1953, Serial No. 360,163

1 Claim. 1

This invention is intended to produce a snagproof anchor in which thestem is slidable through the body so the hauling rope can exert a pullin a rearward direction which will more easily dislodge a snaggedanchor.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a section of an anchor; Fig. 2 is a side view;Fig. 3 is a side view in the normal anchoring position; and Fig. 4 is aside view of the anchor in the position assumed when a rearward pull isexerted to dislodge a snagged anchor.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown an anchor having a bodycomprising a crown I provided with fiukes 2 attached thereto and asocket 3 in the crown for receiving a cylindrical stem 4 having an eye 5at its upper end for attachment to a hauling rope. The socket 3 is openat both ends, the opening at the upper end being a rectangular slot 6lying in a plane transverse to the plane of the flukes through which thestem loose- 137 projects and narrower than a spherical enlargement l inthe lower end of the stem. With this construction, due to the clearancebetween the stem and slot the stem is free to swivel in the body of theanchor and to pivot through an angle determined by the length of theslot. 7

The eye 5 is wider than the widest part of the slot 6 so that once thestem 4 is assembled to the body l of the anchor, the stem cannot bedisassembled. One way of accomplishing this result is to make the eye 5narrower than the slot 6 and then to expand the eye, as indicated at 8,so that the expanded eye cannot be drawn back through the slot 6. Withthis arrangement, the stem may extend out either end of the socket. Inthe anchoring position, shown in Fig. 3, where a hauling rope 9 attachedto the eye 5 exerts an upward pull in the direction of arrow ID, theenlargement 1 is seated against one end of the slot 6 and the greaterpart of the length of the stem slidably extends out through the otherend of the slot. When the anchor is to be released and the hauling rope9 is pulling in the direction of arrow I i, there is a rearwardcomponent of force exerted on the stem 4, which slides the stem throughthe slot 6 until the enlarged eye 8 is brought into engagement with theopposite end of the slot 6. In this position, the force exerted by thehauling rope 9 will more easily dislodge the nukes 2. This permits theretrieving of anchors which have become snagged and cannot be dislodgedby a pull in the same direction as anchoring force. In the anchoringposition shown in Fig. 3, the stem 4 is inclined upward. If the anchoris snagged so it cannot be dislodged by a direct pull, the user movesthe boat up wind, releasing the tension in rope 9 so the stem 4 falls toa horizontal position. Upon reaching a position up wind of the anchor, apull on the rope 9 exerts a tension sliding the horizontal stem throughthe crown of the anchor to the Fig. 4 position where the tension actsdirectly on the crown and tends to slide the anchor clear of thesnagging obstruction.

By having the stem 4 slidable through the body of the anchor so thateither end of the stem may extend away from the body of the anchor, asingle rope may exert a pull in one direction for anchoring (Fig. 3) andin the reverse direction for releasing an anchor which has becomesnagged (Fig. 4). This result is obtained by pro" viding the stem withenlargements at both ends so that either end may project from the bodyof the anchor.

What is claimed as new is:

In an anchor having a body comprising a crown and flukes attachedthereto with a socket in the crown open at both ends, the opening at oneend of the socket comprising a slot, said slot lying in a planetransverse to the plane of the fiukes, a stem slidably projectingthrough the slot and having at opposite ends enlargements larger thanthe slot and retained therein by the enlargements at opposite endswhereby the stem may slide through the slot and out either end of theslot with part of the stem always retained within the slot, said slothaving a clearance between it and the stem permitting free swinging ofthe stem between an inclined position in normal anchoring position and ahorizontal position when the anchoring pull on the stem is released, andone of the enlargements compris ing an eye for attachment to a haulingrope and the other of the enlargements being smaller than the socket,the tension in the rope in the anchoring position pulling the otherenlargement into engagement with one end of the slot and the stemfalling to a horizontal position upon release of the tension of the ropeand the rope pulling the stem through the slot as the rope is pulled inthe reverse direction to release the anchor from an obstruction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,392,526 Ryan Oct. 4, 1921 1,459,768 Jackson June 26, 19231,899,866 Harvey Feb. 28, 1933

